“I’m not a one-and-done guy,” O’Brien said. “I made a commitment to these players at Penn State and that’s what I am going to do. I’m not gonna cut and run after one year. That’s for sure.”

Why that wasn’t “for sure” before O’Brien interviewed with the Browns remains unclear.

—————

All eyes on Chip Kelly in the desert tonight and through the weekend, as the University of Oregon head coach and reported top choice of both the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles for their respective head coaching vacancies will lead his Ducks into a Fiesta Bowl matchup with Kansas State tonight, then himself into an interview with Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner tomorrow, followed by one with the Eagles at some point over the weekend.

“If the Browns’ interview with Kelly goes well,” says Mary Kay Cabot, “they’ll be prepared to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Which is perfect, because if Kelly does end up refusing a Browns offer, folks can just think the interview didn’t go so well and nobody else will ever know either way.

Anyway, the Browns seem to have at least one significant advantage over the Eagles here in that Banner knows Philly’s owner Jeffrey Lurie well, having been childhood friends with him in Boston before working for him for 14 years in the NFL. Banner should have more to say (or at least suggest) about the negative aspects of working for Lurie in Philly than anyone in Philly would have to say about the day-to-day of the Browns’ job under Haslam.

Here’s Pat McManamon with an analysis suggesting that the Browns approach to hiring a head coach before a GM, as well as Banner’s insistence that the new GM won’t have final say over the roster, keeps a candidate like Mike Lombardi “in the mix.” This corroborates Tony Grossi’s idea that “Banner effectively has created a position that only Lombardi would accept.”

Alright, unless something crazy happens this will probably be it here until we post NFL playoff picks on Saturday morning, along with the picks and essays from the c/f/k/a Cheddar Bay playoff field, which has been finalized as the biggest and brightest in the contest’s history. Hope everyone has decent go of it in the meantime.

“Banner should have more to say (or at least suggest) about the negative aspects of working for Lurie in Philly than anyone in Philly would have to say about the day-to-day of the Browns’ job under Haslam.”

While I agree that this is probably true, I don’t believe that this would be the negotiating tactic you would want to use. Smearing a competitor while trying to hire someone you both want is a bit unprofessional, and could very easily backfire on the Browns. Stick to the positives.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

I agree that there’s a line you don’t want to cross, but at the very least Banner should be able to make effective comparisons of the two situations or sell certain aspects of the Cleveland job that suggest such differences.

WooMike

In the proposal writing world, this is a concept called “ghosting.” Know what your competitor does and how they will speak about it. With that line of thinking, you can craft your response not as a smear, but as a better alternative to your competitor’s product or process. You wouldn’t ever call your competitor out by name, but if you know where you are better or more competitive, you can hype that up more.

You are welcome, good sir. I will be looking for my commemorative coffee mug to arrive any day now, inscribed with the following: “January 3rd, 2013: The Day I Won the Internet”. Or, alternatively, “January 3rd, 2013: Crushing Biki024’s Skull with Awesomeness”. I’ll let the voters decide.

BIKI024

crushing my skull? good lord you have problems

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

Of course I do, I’m a Browns fan! All in fun, bro, all in fun.

BIKI024

still don’t have any lists of these “up and coming” coordinators you think would’ve wanted to commit career suicide and take the Browns job in 2011.

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

See my earlier post. I DON’T know who these guys are, I don’t work in the NFL. I expect people who do make their living in that business to know who the best candidates are. The best I could do would be to look for the following attributes:
1) long-term track record of success as a coordinator (offense, defense, or special teams)
2) preferably more than one team, so that we can nullify the “winning because Tom Brady is your QB” factor
3) spends 18 hours a day thinking about, dreaming of, and talking about football
4) will spend 20 hours a day once the season starts to make sure that HIS TEAM is prepared to play on Sunday

oxr

As an Oregon fan (and NE Ohio resident) I suppose I prefer all this to last year’s quick-onset Kelly-to-Bucs rumors. Still, it would be nice if this was all just a way of scaring Phil Knight into building him a literal golden castle or some such. I mean, at least if Saban jumps ship from Alabama he’ll be doing it *after* winning a title.

Reading it was deeply unsettling, a sort of slow pulling off of the bandaid. I’m not sure how anyone could look at that roster and defend Heckert as possessing more than a baseline competence as a GM

nj0

Am I the only one who doesn’t get the allure of TJ Ward? He makes some big hits, but refuses to wrap up for tackles and regularly seems horrendous in coverage. That’s not to say he is talented. I like his motor and think he has played okay though I don’t get the praise he always seems to receive.

humboldt

In many ways, he is the perfect emblem of Heckert’s drafts – spoken highly of but ultimately flawed and lacking in substantive results

BIKI024

you’d be hard pressed to name 5 GM’s who have done a better job in the draft these past 3 years.

nj0

I know I shouldn’t take the bait because this is all impossible to quantify and prove, but Heckert took a 4-12 team and turned it into a 5-11 team.

I think there are five front offices who have improved their team enough over the last three years to win at least two more games than they did in 2008.

BIKI024

yes, because this roster was just laden with talent when he inherited it. DERP. i repeat, SIX, S-I-X homegrown players when he inherited the team. in a complete rebuild like they undertook, the roster improvement isn’t
evident in wins in losses right away, but you should be able to see noticeable improvement next year and the following, hence it being called a “rebuild process”.

you don’t fix a roster as historically weak as the Clownies was in 2010 in 1 or 2 offseasons, but it looks like now heading into Year 4 we should see noticeable improvement.

nj0

Look, I’m no Heckert hater. I’m actually agnostic. I think we need at least two more years to figure out how good some of these guys are. That said, the lack of results on-field is disheartening, though that can be blamed on coaching. And as Frowns has pointed out, it’s really hard to not improve a historically weak roster, isn’t it?

My question- if you admit that the roster was horrible, how can you not be a bigger Mangini (as a coach, at least) fan? He took a “historically weak” roster and went 5-11.

BIKI024

i have warmed up to Mangini as of late, mainly because I like him as a person and think he’s good on TV, and I was as high on Mangenius as anyone when he first came to the Jets as well. what can i say, he didn’t do anything that overwhelmed me in the 3 years that i watched him week in and week out so i wasn’t excited about him coming to Cleve and wasn’t sad that he got canned.

but to your point, wonder why other NFL GM’s and owners don’t appreciate his 10-22 run with us either..

nj0

Much like my point about media influencing team decisions, I think the bad PR from hiring ANY coach who was fired from his last two HC jobs would scare any owner away. It’d take a brazen, brass-balled owner who really believed in Mangini to do that.

But I think he could be a HC again if he wants to get back into coaching. Take a coordinator position somewhere and by 2014 his name would be getting tossed around.

I actually think his time at ESPN has helped him in communicating with media and non-football types. Dude is still really young too, only 41. (42 later this month!)

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

Hahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaha … Start with the GMs who got Luck, RG3, Rusty Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton and Andy Dalton, for starters. Ponder, Tannehill and Locker are about light years better than our QB, too. So there’s 9. The Patriots are another obvious one. And the Steelers. But yes, no GM has gotten to use more high draft picks than Heckert has over the last three years. That’s for sure.

BIKI024

Frownie even you couldn’t screw up the Colts #1 pick this year.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

Right. And Heckert couldn’t have screwed up TRich at 3, or Haden at 7. What he did screw up was not getting the #1 or #2 pick in the first place.

BIKI024

Gerald McCoy!!

Steve

Of course, if TRich doesn’t get healthy, then that pick may have been screwed up too.

rodofdisaster

Oh…I went five rounds on this very same issue with a guy on twitter. Don’t get them started. He’s tops for having missed only “X” tackles yet they fail to accept he takes himself out miserably every other play.

That article also effectively outlines the situation before Mangini got here, which is to say its title is somewhat misleading. Good luck naming one useful player Mangini got rid of to replace with any of the guys that were there by the time H&H came on board. And who knows if H&H would have had the foresight to avoid Sanchez, dump Braylon and K2, etc. Could have been even worse for them than it was.

Steve

Ignore any and everything written (especially comments) at DBN. It’s for your own health.

Roosevelt

Say what you will about the site generally; the article I linked has good factual information.

NeedsFoodBadly

What’s wrong with DBN?

Steve

The article seems fine enough. The comment section though could seriously use a Frownie-esque purging just about every day.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

Well you might be at least a bit relieved to know that every once in awhile it gets one of those.

Steve

Yeah, I guess. Still, there is no true “moderator” and some of the people who seem to be in charge of the site are quite the jerks and insult-hurlers. It’s a mosh pit.

Roosevelt

I didn’t cite the article to make a point about Mangini. I cited it in response to criticism of the current 53 man roster. IMO, Mangini improved things despite some missteps, and had the rug cut out from under him with a new team president being hired at a bad time. Similarly, H&H improved things despite some missteps, and had the rug cut out from under them through the sale of the team at a bad time.

BIKI024

wow, i know people call me Superfan around here, but I think completely the opposite. there is a TON to like in this 53. but i think there are about 8-10 of the spots that we will be upgrading via draft and FA.

def don’t see Fujita, Cribbs, Dawson, MoMass, and possibly Sheldon around. but think that Heckert did a heckuva job these past 2 drafts and we’ll see the fruits of their labor in the next year or 2, especially if we can get the type of coaching staff that Banner and Haslam have been referencing.

humboldt

Grossi’s interpretation, which I share, is that the list is filled with solid players but abjectly lacking in game-changing athletes that ultimately are the decisive factor in close games.

Weeden, Richardson, and Gordon are potential game-changers but only time will tell. Besides, all 3 are from the last draft which raises the question of why Heckert’s other previous drafts were so deficient in playmakers.

bupalos

Total horse hockey. Its just flat stupid to think that the only “game changers” are the guys that throw and run the ball ie the guys you see actually cross the goalline. Haden is a game changer. So is rubin. So is thomas. If weeden or richardson are gamechangers, its only in a bad way. Richardson because he missed the blitzer, weeden because he airmailed the wide open wr.
Rubbish. Acto!

humboldt

I can’t tell if you’re being facetious…? The Browns certainly have a few impact players to build around (Rubin, Thomas, Haden, Mack, Schwartz etc) but I would define a ‘game-changer’ as someone who makes a decisive imprint on a game, most usually by getting points or turnovers. I’m hard-pressed to identify any existing game-changers beyond the ones I mentioned above. Phil Dawson, sadly, is probably the top candidate at this point, which does not reflect well on the roster.

In Heckert’s defense, the 2012 draft delivered a few promising talents, most notably Richardson, Gordon, Benjamin, etc. However, that begs the question of why his previous two drafts were so deficient in game-changing players. His decision to give up Julio Jones (a game-changer) for a few ostensibly solid players (Taylor, Weeden, Little) is troubling, although the jury is still out.

When I look at the modern NFL I see a league w/ such parity that teams *need* players who differentiate in crucial moments (RGIII, Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, etc). The Browns still lack that kind of talent.

https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

he ranks usama young ahead of billy winn.
nuf ced.

BIKI024

he also still has Dmitri Patterson on the 53.. at least he gave a disclaimer that he studied no tape whatsoever. too bad they don’t have the financial resources to get an experienced scout to breakdown each and every player.

humboldt

So baby goes out with bathwater, eh?

http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris Mc

Swisher’s presser (going on right now) seems a little insincere. I know he needs to tow the company line, but lets avoid pretending that he didn’t have at least 4 preferred destinations over Cleveland.

BIKI024

it is what it is. he’s here and i’m definitely pumped to see how the lineup will flush out. expecting a breakout year from Kipnis, and really like how Swish will mix in with Santana, Cabrera and Reynolds in the middle of our lineup. i can see this being a solid batting order:

Brantley
Kipnis
Cabrera
Swish
Cabrera
Reynolds
Chisenhall

Canzler

Stubbs

mo_by_dick

Ghost runner on 2nd when Cabrera comes up a second time

BIKI024

thanks bud, fixed.

mo_by_dick

Frowns & I already tried that trick in softball anyway. I do think that Reynolds needs some kind of lineup protection or he’s going to have a brutal year — hope Chiz can come thru and be that guy.

nj0

I actually think Brantley is poised for a break out year. He’ll be 26 and from 2011 to 2012 he improved considerably:

+ .022/.030/.018

He also was quite the avg/obp guy in the minors.

BIKI024

i considered last year a breakout year for him, he def improved considerably. it would be great if he could duplicate last year’s averages, but of course if he can improve even further it would be gravvy.

nj0

He’s still young and should get better, if you buy the sabermetric stuff.

BIKI024

i do

thebearchoo

You gotta give the guy props, they were saying he donated $400k upfront to Indians charities? Impressive. The field at OSU was also named after him a couple seasons ago after a huge donation to switch it to turf. I’ve always thought he’s seemed like a pretty genuine guy, and hopefully his influence does a lot of good for the young guys in the clubhouse.

nj0

I hate constantly complaining about the PD, but what does MKC’s proclamation that – “they’ll be prepared to make him an offer he can’t refuse” – actually mean? It doesn’t seem to be from a source. Does she have information on the type of offer they’d be willing to make? If she did, then I’d buy that he couldn’t refuse. To me, it reads like a bit of fluff that means absolutely nothing and is not grounded in reality.

And can Pluto please stop numbering his articles! When you have paragraphs that flow together, building off the ideas and concepts presented in other paragraphs to form one coherent piece of writing, that is called an article or an essay. When you have paragraphs or sentences that do not relate with you each, that is called a list. Articles do not need numbers. List usually have them.

oxr

I read “an offer he can’t refuse” in its plainest form: as a threat on Kelly’s life. Surely an error in judgment on Cabot’s part to go public with that part of the recruitment strategy.

NeedsFoodBadly

yeah, I thought that was clear. Haslam brings in Banner with a pistol and says “Either your signature is on the contract or your brains” then Reggie Hodges punts a horse’s head through the window.

Wiseoldredbeard

We all know that Hodges doesn’t get enough hang time to kick it through the window. It’d have to be Dawson. Love the image.

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

Yes, I believe Hodges was only 30th in the league in HHPR metric, the most comprehensive statistic ever to measure Horse Head Punting.

It’s just like when she says garbage like, “we don’t know who it’s gonna be, but Haslam will work as hard as possible to make sure it’s the best candidate possible.” It’s complete nonsense and the opposite of journalism. I can’t believe it gets past her editors … I mean, maybe her editors are putting it in? After all, they have Browns season ticket packages to sell. TICKETS! Who needs tickets!!!???

nj0

Well, in her defense this sort of tripe gets passed off as journalism in most places nowadays.

Nothing infuriates me more than a reporter who says something may happen. Of course it may. Anything in the realm of possibility may happen, but pointing out that something is possible isn’t analysis. Lazy ass mothers….

And to think she has a vote for Canton.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

You know, I don’t think she does have a vote for Canton. I think it was prematurely assumed that Grossi would be stripped of his, but I think he managed to keep it once he landed with WKNR, so she never ended up getting one. Anyway, she’s not on this list: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/selectionprocess.aspx

nj0

Hmm… interesting…that’d make sense.

I’d tweet him if I knew what that was.

mo_by_dick

non-tweeters non-smokers non-sippas

nj0

Also, is Doug Marrone a jedi or something? Why does his name keep coming up all over the place?

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

He’s done a really good job with that Syracuse program given what he walked into.

nj0

Okay. I don’t follow cfb really so only see w/l records and hear the big names.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

You should check out the yearly records of the Syracuse program before he got there.

GrandRapidsRustlers

He destroyed a Louisville team, coached up a solid NFL prospect in Nassib, and basically built a team back up that was a complete and total mess.

Also has NFL experience…not saying I want the guy here but he is a pretty good coach.

Henry Brown

Probably the second best option.

Wiseoldredbeard

I want MKK to explain to me what her ridiculous claim that Haslam “might be leaning toward” a 3-4 defense, or a coach who will run one, actually means in English. That is some absolutely horrible reporting. “Might be leaning”?!?!? So, that’s what, 50-50 chances? Less? More? Does it mean that he has a D-Coordinator in mind that runs a 3-4 and would want to impose it? Does it mean that Haslam thinks 3-4 is better and will look to hire a coach who will implement that system? Does it mean whoever her “source” is has no idea what is happening and is just giving her fake “information” (assuming she isn’t just making it up, since no one else has reported this “information”) to get spin into the media? I am willing to bet money that the reason no one else has reported this is because it is nothing more than conjecture (either by MKK or her “source”) based on the fact that he likes the Steelers and Patriots, both of which run a 3-4.

I get that if you’re not a real reporter you should be able to say whatever you want on twitter, but if you’re a real reporter citing a “source” what you say should at least mean something that normal people can understand as an actual tidbit of information worth the four seconds it took to read. ARGHHHHHHHHHHH! Rant over.

nj0

I imagine her grilling some Browns intern by the water-cooler about the defense then him shrugging his shoulders and mumbling, “I dunno… maybe…”. *BOOM* sourced!

https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

i was just thinking about the PD’s lead browns beat today today.

here’s a link (to a link) of her january 2011 reportage on candidate pat shurmur.

good lord people, i know everyone is anxious to know to what’s going to happen, RIGHT NOW, THIS VERY SECOND, but everything will be sorted out soon enough, sheesh. she has her sources, and things are very fluid this time of year, even with “sources”, things change every minute. it is what it is.

Bernietocatcherguy

isn’t that her problem? that she seems to be throwing things out at Twitter rate of PR person for a sports team? Yet she is the beat (wo)man for the PD

BIKI024

is it really a problem? what is the problem exactly? too much info for fans to handle? fans get their hopes up and then get their little hearts broken when the rumors don’t come to fruition?? it seems to me they get annoyed when they don’t hear every little rumor out there, so she’s just feeding the beast that is being a sports fan in a 24/7 news cycle..

Wiseoldredbeard

What’s the problem? The problem is broadcasting fake news as if it is a story to drive hits to an article by tweeting that Haslam is looking at a 3-4 and then having some overqualified throwaway in the bottom of the article on the topic that is completely impossible to fact check or question because it is reporting on a possibility that something may or may not happen. If you are a reporter you get paid to report FACTS. Period. Otherwise you’re just a hack blogger, and what you say can’t be trusted. Let me guess, do you love ESPN First Take, too?

Wiseoldredbeard

And, just to remind you, Tony Grossi allegedly was fired for broadcasting opinions instead of facts as the beat writer. This is important and I’m sorry that everyone doesn’t recognize it (including her editors) and tell her that she shouldn’t sacrifice real journalism for the 24-hour news cycle. I mean, if all it takes is the ability to tweet unverifiable non-sense well then sign me up for a job at the PD news desk.

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

What if we can verify that everything you post is nonsense? Does that make you unqualified or actually perfect for the job??

jpftribe

big like, totally agree. She has become completely unreadable for me.

BIKI024

really? how is making disparaging personal remarks about the owner have any correlation to anything MKC has said??

and it looks like she was right about Kelly, they obviously made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

BIKI024

only Eric Mangini’s segments

nj0

the problem is that quoting a source that says something might happen is completely worthless. it means nothing.

BIKI024

why is it worthless?!? the Steelers run a 3-4, so maybe Haslam prefers that? either way, who cares, it’s sports, not like she’s reporting on covert CIA operations in Syria

and it matters because when you dial it on for little stories like this, it probably means you’re going to do piss poor journalism on the big stories. if we had a more competent local media, this team would be in a much better situation.

but forget that….Browns season ticket packages to sell. TICKETS! Who needs tickets!!!??

BIKI024

the local media has an impact on the team’s situation? wow, i think i might’ve heard it all.

nj0

the media clearly has an influence on the fanbase. and the fanbase can and has dictated personnel decisions for this franchise. remember big dog? does frowns have to re-post mangenius interrupted again for the 5000th time?

it is not a leap to say that fair, balanced, and incisive reporting about the team would change fan opinions which would influence how the front office operates.

BIKI024

i’d have to believe a 1-17 win/loss record from the end of Romeo to the first 12 of Mangini may had exponentially more to do with “big dog”(wasn’t it Dawg Pound Mike?) than anything anyone from the media could’ve said..

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

It’s not just that, it’s that a shitty media lets leadership get away with shitty decisions, lets players get away with being a-holes. This is beyond dispute. Stop arguing this point. I’ll delete any more idiocy that’s posted about it.

alexb

who cares? man i’m sorry, I originally hated moving away from the 4-3 but Mangini sold me on the idea…like personally, no just kidding. And I disliked moving back to the 4-3 simply because it was yet another overhaul that takes a couple years to pan out. But Shurm went to the 4-3 and I have to say that our front 7 right now is pretty darn good, we’re one “maybe” two players away from being really f’cing good. I would ultimately prefer someone coming in and having us run the Seattle hybrid, what I don’t want to see is someone coming in with his own ideas of a 3-4 and guts the defense simply to run his version. We’ve potentially got something with our front 7, I just don’t want the boat rocked way hard cause it’ll be another 2-3 years before the new system shows something. If someone can build on our front 7 without getting rid of too many pieces, hey fine….but an overhaul is not what any Cleveland Brown fan wants to see. I wanna see what these guys are capable of with that extra piece added and obviously something done with the secondary.

BIKI024

i didn’t mean who cares if we switch to 3-4, but who cares what MKC tweets?? i sure as heck don’t. sure i follow her and digest what she says, but same goes for the dozens of other browns beat writers, bloggers, national writers, etc.

but yeah, i would prefer to stay at 4-3 too, and I’m not sure what you do with Taylor, Rubin, and Hughes in a 3-4, Winn may be able to play end, but the rest are too fat and slow to play anything other than DT

alexb

“If” we were to go to a 3-4 we’d have to

A) Draft a hybrid or get one in free agency….didn’t see any that I knew for certain that could fit that role but there’s so many names who knows.
B) Rucker and at least one of the two back up interior lineman would have to go. I’d still keep Parker to backup Sheard at the end spot. We’d still have a good interior rotation and I guess occasionaly we could field a standard 4-3 if we keep Parker and Sheard. This is what I hope they do….get one of the hybrids in the draft then run a base 3-4 but mix in the 4-3 to keep at least one of the tackles honest if he starts stepping out too much on the OLB edge rush.

bupalos

Obviously Rubin and Taylor rotate at nt or Taylor plays end, winn is actually prototype 3-4, frostee could go too. Sheard could be a rush lb. Need some more lb speed but not nearly the big deal everyone makes it. Winn’s unexpected awesomeness makes this pretty doable. Hughes looks like an odd man out though.

alexb

I know we saw Sheard stand up towards the end of the season but please, he is NOT an a rush OLB. He’s still listed at 255 but there’s no way…..he’s closer to 280. He’d have to get back down to his college weight.

bupalos

Its spelled f’in, not f’cing. But this whole “what are we running?” thing is tired. Browns front with Rubin/Taylor can go 3-4 or 4-3 with the addition of maybe 1 player, like barky mingo type. Everyone will run everything within 5 years.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

I agree with this.

alexb

are my eyes going bad? I didn’t see anything in her article that stated anything about Haslem and his defensive predilections.

NeedsFoodBadly

It’s at the bottom of the Horton portion. “Horton runs a 3-4, but Haslam might be leaning toward that, a source said.”

jaws

LISTEN: The media has utterly wildly overblown the whole 4-3,3-4 transition. With the guys we’ve got now, we could play the 3-4 next year and be TOTALLY FINE. We have the bodies for either scheme at the moment. Phil and Rubin can both play nose or 3-4 end. Winn graded out as a 3-4 end optimally. Those guys know how to play 2-gap or 1-gap. The media just want you to be negative and nervous because it generates traffic. IT DOESN’T MATTER what defense the new coach likes: We can rut it next year with PRACTICALLY NO TURNOVER. Despite overblown “well we need guys who can run this and this” you can sometimes just transition schemes and its no big deal; look at the colts last year, It has happened before.

End rant.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

Yup.

trashycamaro

Thanks for this ^^^. My concern with all the 3-4/4-3 nonsense is the change in personnel. By this analysis it looks like we could even run out the Belichick-style hybrids. Versatility is always nice.

alexb

It seems thats where NFL defense’s are heading, a mix of both. The Ravens actually play more snaps now with 4 hands down lineman than they do the 3-4 standup looks.

bupalos

Agree. Hughes is maybe my only concern. I think he’s good enough that he deserves regular rotation but he’s really quite wrong for 3-4 sets. Not a huge thing though. Probably trade him for a backer.

alexb

well that remains to be seen dude….i have no ability to make a judgement either way here but it’s entirely possible that a coach comes in next year and decides half the defense isn’t right for the 3-4. The interior lineman would probalby still be fine but why on earth would you play WInn at the end? The end would still either be Sheard or Parker. We’d have to draft an OLB for the other side. You’re absolutely right that we “can” make transition its’ just will the coach want to keep these guys, who aren’t really “his guys”. I dunno. If some guy does come in and start shipping guys off though it’s gonna suck.

alexb

I was thinking about this somemore and decided to see what the roster turnover from the Mangini to Shurmur transition was defensively. It doesn’t look good, especially for the front line. The only lineman left from the Mangini era is Rubin. We still have DQ, Gocon, Maiva and Fugita from Mangini’s defense…….but I don’t think it’s so set in stone that the next coach is just gonna keep most of these guys. I hope they do, but I think if we go back to a 3-4 the D line is gonna get tore up. With the rotation shrinking and plenty of surplus they may even shop around Sheard to see what they can get for him.

NeedsFoodBadly

The Ray Lewis thing blows my mind. I cannot stand that he is in like four separate commercials as a “nice guy” in light of his previous history, and will yukking it up on ESPN on game day. If someone is a “winner,” it wipes out all their previously public misdeeds, apparently.

BIKI024

the kids who got murdered were from Akron as well. who knows, maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it’s a damn shame that NO ONE was charged for the murder of those 2 kids from SuCo

http://twitter.com/JRichTCF Jeff Rich

Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker.

Oakley and Sweeting were charged, tried, and acquitted in a trial that lost attention and momentum after Lewis’s plea deal got him out of the spotlight. From what I’ve read, the prosecution made the LA County team of Darden/Clark look like super-heroes with inconsistent testimony and what not. The family of Lollar described the brutal stabbings as a “thrill-kill”. No justice served, just nonsense, and a footnote that the media sweeps under the rug in retrospective views of Lewis.

alexb

ray wasn’t involved in that. C’mon I know we hate the guy but seriously, he’s like the quietiest dude in the NFL with his personal life. I’ve actually come to respect him alot. There’s no way you go from thrill killing some dude’s at a superbowl party to what he’s shown for the last 17 years. The guy has never been seen in the clubs or making it rain on strippers….dude is business. He’s carried himself a hell of alot more respectably than guys like Harrison who fuck me running cannot understand the concept of looking up and seeing what your hitting. I hope the league just outright forbids him to tackle the ball carrier at some point.

BIKI024

do you remember what it was like when it happened? he (his agent i should say) provided him with the best lawyers money could buy to keep the charges to a minimum (albeit obstruction of justice on a double homicide isn’t something you want to tell your grandkids about), and then he had the best PR people money could buy to reshape his image which it seems worked on shaping your impression of him.

i don’t hate the guy, but just because he’s been squeeky clean since then doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

actovegin1armstrong

The Raven’s are the devil’s minions and Stabby McKnifey is their leader of mayhem. Come on ab, scum is still scum even after you wipe it up and throw it in a Glad bag.

alexb

look I get it, it’s the Ravens and we all hate the Ravens. Just want to point something out here…they won 1 superbowl, but how many Superbowls would the Steelers have won the last 10 or so years if they didn’t have to play the Ravens twice a year and sometimes in the Playoffs? As much as I hate to say it, we kind of owe the Ravens some…..do you see how insufferable Shittspuke fans are? The Ravens, and admittedly also the Pats, were like the only reality check the Steelers had over the last decade or so.

alexb

Don’t we owe the Ravens something though? I mean they only won 1 superbowl and while I admit it was miserable watching that, I didnt’ think I’d ever forgive the Giants for that until the 07 SB after which they will always occupy a special place in my heart, it was only 1. Without the Ravens the Steelers would have undebateably at least 1 more superbowl and one could very well make the argument for 2 or 3 more. And vice versa of course, the Ravens would probably have at least one more as well. If it weren’t for those two teams beating each other up twice a season and the occasional playoff meeting, both would likely have more SB appearances and likely wins. So i’m goin easy on the Ravens with the whole “devils minion” talk. lol Just think how insufferable shittspuke fans are now, think of them with at least 2 more SB wins the past decade. FUck they still bring up the joosed up 70’s knuckle draggers.

http://twitter.com/JRichTCF Jeff Rich

The bloody suit, which he destroyed or hid very well, suggests otherwise. The compensation to the victim’s families and compensation to his co-defendants for legal fees also suggests otherwise. Kudos on keeping his nose clean, but I’d extend that pride to a post-incarceration Mike Vick also.

i dont get why mike zimmer isn’t getting any headcoaching buzz this cycle.

BIKI024

i’m sure he will be getting some buzz next week after their 2nd annual 1st round playoff loss in Houston..

nj0

This will be our seventh coach since the reboot which is 14 years old.

The Cowboys have had eight coaches since 1960. The Steelers last seven coaches date back to 1954. The freaking Bengals last seven coaches take them back to 1978. Ugh. Damn Wikipedia.

https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

i think youll find all the steeler HC hires were under 40. noll-cowher-tomlin were, but i believe that holds true going back to the 1930s.

BigDigg

I hate to say that the Browns should consider emulating the Bengals, but i think we need to give the next guy some considerable leash if nothing more to provide the stability that can allow us to cash in on NFL parity. At this point i’d take a Bengals like run of occasionally competitive (non true contender) teams with a few cellar dwellers mixed in. After all the NFL draft is much more fun when you have a top 5ish pick, and can’t discount how that gives us something to talk about during some cold winter months.

nj0

I actually agree. The aim always seems to be to emulate the Patriots or the Steelers, like that’s an easy thing to do.

I actually look at the Texans, in some ways our sister team, as an example of how to do it – find a coach/front office that you believe and stick with them. You may not become the Patriots overnight, but at least you’ll develop some internal consistency.

I think our problem was that we’ve had only two coaches – Butch and Mangini – who seemed up to snuff as long term NFL coaches.

atdietz80

Who would be in the Browns’ coaching pool if Randy Lerner were still the majority owner post Big (Dog and Pony) Show? I know that Chip Kelly would not be on that list. I shutter to think about it. Even the plan B and plan C options for Has-ner seem to be vast upgrades to Shumur. Maybe in a press conference, word would get out that Norv Turner was available and Randy would perk up.

bupalos

You shutter, do u?

SeattleBrownsFan

fortunately he doesn’t studder

bupalos

Goddamnit f’in swamp thugs robbed me. Inexpressible anger. How the mthrfk did f’in Louisville with their f’in 3 yards rushing crush the living stuffing out of the supposedly 3rd best team in the country. amotivational losers. Stupid thugs were too busy celebrating their moronic thuggish illegal hits the whole f’in game to bother playing football. FK. FK. FK. I will hate Florida FOREVER lousy swamp hell. Goddamn hell fk.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

Yeah, that was no way to go out. Damn.

actovegin1armstrong

You are confusing me, how do you really feel?

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

Before I spend time reading all the other comments, I would like to point out that Ray-Ray has 1 more murder victim (allegedly) than Super Bowl rings. That is all.

atdietz80

Turn off your Robo-type. This post has shown up numerous times already. Ray is not on trial right now. He paid his debt to society.

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

No Robo-type here, I posted this first, when this article only had 20 or so comments. We need timestamps on these comments, Disqus! And I am not advocating for another trial or anything, I think along the lines of the NPR post – you can’t talk about Ray Lewis’ legacy and not mention the trial. And, yes, he paid his legally negotiated debt to society and the legal system is satisfied. Do we know the whole story? Probably not. And we likely never will.

trashycamaro

I have read the article on Chip Kelly before…and this is EXACTLY the kind of coach I want. I also want him to have personnel control and am happy with a 5+ year contract commitment if everything in that article is true (i.e. Haslam and Banner still need to do their homework,but the set up for success is there).

This is the type of thinking that should be looked for in coaching – not adherence to a system, but the best way to apply your resources to winning. It’s not the scheme that wins, it’s the adaptation to talent available and building a system around it.

Teams will be much better against the read option run plays next year. There are enough teams running it that teams will figure it out and coach their players properly to defend it. This doesn’t mean it will go away, merely that it will be somewhat less effective (i.e. the Tebow version would be difficult to maintain because of his inaccuracy on the short throws).

That said, if Kelly is on board, who’s the QB? Since we are mostly looking at retreads (barring a Geno Smith reach), is it time for Vick to be in the Dawg Pound?

atdietz80

History is kind to innovators. Those who fail to adapt are not remembered at all. Paul Brown was not successful by staying with common convention. He found new ways to win: using game tape, the taxi squad, the draw play. Chip Kelly is no Paul Brown, but he can be like him to a degree. He has an original approach to create mismatches and maximize his talent. I welcome such an approach.

Bryan

I am all-in on Kelly. Completely agree that he is not a system guy. He is just a smart guy. We need someone like that.

I honestly think Weeden could do well with him. Obviously, the key question is whether Chip would want Weeds.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

#Chips4Chip

Bryan

#Chips4Chip is a great one. LOL.

I really don’t have a preference, but I do think Kelly may consider Weeds. At least for a year if “his guy” is not available.

alexb

weeds will have to fight for the job but I honestly don’t see much choice unless we can pull off a free agent signing like Alex Smith or Flacco. He’ll probably be asking too much but Flacco is a top 5 arm “easily”. And he’s probably closer to #1 than #5. Cutler is 1 and probably a 1/4th of a mile an hour seperate the next 4. Baltimore will likely outmatch anybody’s offer but with the entire Ravens defense retiring next year Flacco may jump.

bupalos

Note to self read thread before trying to be clever.

Quack-n-frack. That’s still mine.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

Quack n Frack!

mojo

hell no, weeds is O-U-T OUT if Chip Kelly is the new coach. After Chip Kelly decides where he is coaching next season, The next 64,000 question is this: Who does end up being Chip Kelly’s quarterback?

bupalos

While I’m still trying to climb out of the bottom of the bottle I fell into when the stupid swamp thugs threw that game, I’m wondering if folks would be up for a cheesy eggies league this year, With money or without. If the later, I’d throw another 64 championship canvas into the pot or jr. mangini fathead. Or passion of St. Mangini canvas. Or anything else wifey’s studio could produce that someone wants to suggest.

Imagine Kanick might be burnt though….

GrandRapidsRustlers

cheesy eggies was a blast last year…I also got to make a charitable deduction when all was said and done. (I did not actually deduct the $25 dollars…that would make me a douche)

bupalos

Well too bad for you you have to play the stupid cheddar playoffs which are stupid and I didn’t want to play anyway because they are stupid and no way half as fun as cheesy eggies which are the awesomest.

BTW I was going on Oregon in that last game, so you should have a special place in your heart for the SELLOUT SWAMP THUGS GADKGKSDJASKDFJAA!!!!!!

GrandRapidsRustlers

I think that Florida game is proof that no one cares about the bowl system anymore. I can’t get over how awful and undisciplined Florida was and no one is even talking about it or even cares.

The fact that only 1 Florida player was ejected is mind boggling to me. It also speaks to the character of Lousiville and their Coach and QB to never really lose their cool.

Safe to say the Cards become a favorite for me to watch for Cheddar Bay next year.

https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

no i’m can track this.
i must add a proviso that the kent/arkyst game is on the roster. what kind of world would allow that game to go on without the sunbeast/maction experts weighing in on the REAL game of the year.

Brian Sipe

Saban or Ken Wisenhunt… Please Please no Chip Kelly

atdietz80

I like both of those choices. Saban would be a huge surprise to leave the Crimson Tide for the Cleveland Browns. Chip is interviewing and stands a decent chance to accept the position. Whisenhunt is a fall back and a good one.

Nick Saban is over-qualified for the college game, yet he and his family can be exalted there. He may have resided himself to a life of being the one-eyed man in the land of the blind.

1) Nick Saban
2) Chip Kelly
3) Ken Whisenhunt

BigDigg

I’ve recently talked myself into Chip if it comes to pass. We’re a QB short but he’s shown himself able to pull in system guys that might work. Also seems like the kinda guy that can adapt systems to personnel, adapt gameplans dynamically, etc. You know, not a Shurmer like WC robot. Certainly could be a Spurrier like disaster of course but would be fascinating either way.

Wisehunt would be a great hire as well. I don’t understand why people clamor for Saban given the costs/stakes likely to be involved.

atdietz80

Spurrier failed in large part to his country club approach to preparation. He was needling Jon Gruden about Chuckie’s insistence on getting into the office at 4 am. Chip Kelly has no wife, no kids and a vivid imagination.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

Chipper-Shredder’s a single guy? That’s sort of awesome. How many single head coaches are there in the NFL I wonder?

nj0

I was curious and did the internetting on this.

Jeff Fisher is the only current coach not married, but he has an ex and kids.

atdietz80

Belichick

nj0

Yeah, him too. For some reason I thought he had remarried.

BIKI024

his gf is bangin’, had a messy divorce with her ex who she had affair with the hoody with. difference with BB and Chip is that Kelly has never been married.

nj0

I remember reading a story on SI’s website, either Peter King or Dr. Z, about how one of the Redskins QBs were studying film after hours or on the weekend and Spurrier actually sent him home.

BigDigg

Totally get that these are different personalities and approaches that mean this experiment isn’t predestined for the same outcome. But it IS still and experiment.

The risk I see – Kelly’s team looks great when it’s flowing and all blitzkrieg and ass kicking. It’s pure genius. But when it get’s out of sorts or falls flat, the tables can turn quickly. All the sudden the small TOP and turnovers work against you in a big way. And you can’t switch tactics easily to air-raid and you can’t always count on 75 yard breakaway runs to quickly even the score. It’s why his teams (despite the gaudy stats and records) have never been seriously in the discussion for the NC game late in the season. Invariably they run into a team with the talent or time to catch up to the scheme or they simply have an off day or bad timing.

Fun’n’gun in the NFL wasn’t all that different in that regard from what I remember. Worked great in college when receivers were wide open and you had your pick of the litter in recruiting. In the NFL the receiving windows were much smaller, the pressure the QB had greater, and the talent more even. All the sudden Spurrier didn’t look like a genius anymore.

Kelly seems cerebral enough to adjust and adapt. But it’s not a given…

BigDigg

Just forgot that Oregon played Auburn in the NC game just two years ago. Oops. Strike that point please

BIKI024

what’s so special about beating up the bourgeois of the Pac-10 anyhow? 2-2 career bowl record, barely beat Wisco last year in the Rose Bowl and got spanked by the Suckeyes a couple years prior. not like he completely turned around the program either, they had some great runs with Bellotti. and then add the fact he hasn’t even sniffed even a jockstrap in an NFL locker room (although maybe the bachelor is into that???) he’s seeming less and less attractive. but you know me, in Haslam we Trust!

BigDigg

I think even more telling here isn’t where he’s won but where he’s lost. Teams like OSU, Stanford, USC, Auburn had equal or better talent on D to slow his offense down. And/or they had time/coaching to prepare and counter.

Surely its no shame to say you lost to those teams since most of the rest of college football did as well. And perfection isn’t a requirement in the NFL as it is in college. What i’m trying to draw out is how much of the variables that contributed to his current success can reasonably be expected to translate at the next level.

I stated somewhere else in this thread – i’m actually on board for this and think Kelly might just be the guy to adapt and break through. But it’s not a sure thing. People are really referencing the Belichick connection as though that validates a forthcoming tide change in the NFL schemes. Newsflash – every offense looks better with Tom Brady as trigger man and a HOF coach calling shots. I think rather than specific schemes the real tide change are coaches that innovate and more importantly tailor them annually to their talent. John Fox last year, Pete Carroll this year and others i’m sure.

atdietz80

Agreed. Innovation being the key to sustained success.

atdietz80

Chip did what he needed to do to win at OREGON! Let’s not act like there was a legit program there before he got there. The SEC is the only conference that can get to the National Championship without an unblemished record. Can Oregon expect to go undefeated every year under Chip? No. If hired, Kelly will adapt to his new surroundings: Pro Set, I-Formation. He’ll have 53 NFL-ready players on the team.

BIKI024

Oregon wasn’t a legit program before he got there??? they finished #2 in 2001, higher than Chip’s teams have ever finished (#3 in 2010)

Oh, what was I thinking? You proved my point for me. They’ve never won a National Title. How many times have they even challenged for the PAC 10 crown prior to the Quack Attack? Minnesota has been a National Champion in the past, I guess that makes them relevant, too. No one thinks of Oregon in any terms rather than their current form. Maybe Joey Harrington’s Heisman campaign, but that was more marketing than anything else.

BIKI024

i guess you have no concern for the facts. yes, the Nike marketing machine has really helped him, good point.

atdietz80

What facts? Oregon is on par with USC historically? No. They are not. They have been okay, but nothing special. I mean, they’re no Colorado. Colorado has a National Title. One more than Oregon. They must be just as elite.

Petefranklin

Oregon is/was good mostly because of the Nike dudes support. They will be good after chip leaves. $$$ rules and Oregon gets an extreme amount of support..

Yahmule

Steve Spurrier: “I saw a story saying Jimmy Haaazelett comes in at 4:30 every morning – that’s not doing him much good”.

bupalos

Looks like it’s happening… why are you so down on him. Not that I’m up on him, but he seems at least like a pretty smart guy.

BIKI024

don’t love it, but don’t hate it, intriguing i guess is how i see it..

1. never coached in the NFL, how is he going to adjust to yelling at guys who make more $$ than him?

2. only HC at Oregon for 4 years, 2-2 bowl record whose offense struggled against above average defenses.

but yeah, he seems kind of smart, i guess the Phys Ed program at New Hampshire is pretty cut throat.

Jim

Re: Why that wasn’t “for sure” before O’Brien interviewed with the Browns remains unclear. – I am guessing the $1.2 million dollar “donation” O’Brien received added on to his contract at PSU after his interview with the Browns probably swayed his decision somewhat.

atdietz80

O’Brien fenced himself in at Penn State. No one wants to buy out his contract and now he’s resigned to playing out the string for a while. He’s just feathering his nest until he can be free.

http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris Mc

I only kind of glanced over the comments, so if I’m repeating someone else I apologize.

“It’s amazing how much integrity you integrity when someone integrities a truck full of integrity up to your front integrity*.”

Bill O’Brien is a “man of integrity” after PSU (and a private donor)
decided to pony up a $1.3m pay raise next year. This happened after
he interviewed with half a dozen teams. There’s nothing wrong with seeking a pay raise, but cut the bullshit and call it what it is. It’s not “integrity” that got him the raise, it’s leverage. People can stop acting like he pulled off some selfless act for the school.

*Actual quote from his agent.

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

I don’t live in NE Ohio anymore (originally from Warren), and to continue the comment-war Biki and I were embroiled in yesterday, the Titans consider themselves a bit of a dumpster fire. (In case you haven’t figured out based on my choice of articles, I live in TN).

Interesting to look around the league and see what other fanbases/beat reporters think of their own situations.

Oh, and Biki, Jeff Fisher != draft genius, at least in Nashville. Those “homegrown players” still have to be good. To bowdlerize one of our favorite quotes on this site, “ANYONE can draft terrible players. ANYONE!”.

BIKI024

yes of course they need to be good, but dissirregardless, you need to have them. guys who come up together tend to play harder for each other. going through the grind of learning the system together, i.e team chemistry, etc. we had a grand total of SIX heading into 2010. Savage and Butch really did us no favors at all in setting up the roster for any sort of sustainable success.

as far as the Titans, they had a pretty good run there under Fisher, and had a positive outlook for this year after overachieving last year but it seems injuries really hurt them this year, but they have a solid roster to build on. whether the coaching is there, i guess that’s another story.

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

I see what you mean, but having 30 terrible players doesn’t help anyone, and that’s what kept happening with Browns drafts/FA signings. You’re right – thanks a lot, Butch and Phil, for picking so many NFL Europe-type players!

Re: the Titans, it was less injuries and more about terrible performance. Note: Jake Locker, not a great QB, at least not yet, and Matt Hasselbeck…let’s just say, that looks a lot like some of the QB moves of our favorite team.

but again, NE drafted 40 of their 53, NYG drafted 42 (albeit out of playoffs), when I get the time I’ll do a count on the rest of the playoff teams, but I’d bet my last dollar they all have at least 30+ homegrown guys. that was the plan that Heckert had, rebuild the foundation through the draft since we had no chance of any sort of sustainable success until we did so, otherwise it’s just a continuous dumpsterfire with possibly a fluke season here or there (2001, 2007)

SteamingPileOfCraphonsoThorpe

Preaching to the choir, Biki, I don’t question that the roster needed to be re-built. If your “homegrown players” number is low, it means you stink at drafting. And yes, Matt as vet presence is fine, just saying that on the field, he’s TN’s version of the Jeff Garcia/Trent Dilfer Experiment.

Chip ‘n Chips? Colt would be pretty decent running a bit of that read option stuff. Trade Weeden to Reed/Heckert in KC for a 2nd, pick up Ryan Nasib to understudy Colt, and start building the Northcoast offense?

Sounds like the big duck is a done deal as Philly schedules more interviews right about the time Browns interview should have ended. Quacking on the Northcoast.

Love Weeds! He is right. He would be good with Kelly. Please no Chips for Chip… Would rather bring in a re-tread vet than have noodle arm Chips ruining the spread offense.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

He just said like two days ago that he couldn’t run Chip’s offense. Now he’s retweeting people who say he can.

Bryan

Not sure if Frowns meant the tweet below sarcastically, but I 100% agree with it. I feel like Weeden could thrive in Kelly’s spread offense with quick, simple reads. Of course, Kelly may not want him. But I don’t think getting Kelly means Weeds is out. His arm is so much better than McCoy’s. Can’t see Kelly wanting McCoy. Plus, there are no elite prospects in draft.

Yeah but Brandon wasn’t any good at “quick, simple reads” this year……what exactly is going to change? If I understand Kelly’s air raid style offense, which I’m not sure I am, but isn’t ALOT more asked of the qb than under shurm’s WCO? This could be a really really really bad year coming up offensively if Weedon doesn’t serious progress as an NFL qb from this past year.

BIKI024

Chris Sprow from ESPN’s take on why Chip would fit with the Clownies:

Benefit: Defensive pieces and offensive flexibility

Three years ago, I spoke to Kelly in the weeks before Oregon’s fall practice began when he would, at age 46, be a head coach for the first time at any level. I peppered him with questions based on numbers, and he responded confidently when I asked what would happen now, when defense had to be half his focus. The season before, Kelly’s quick-strike offense left the defense on the field more than 35 minutes a game, the highest rate in the conference. “There’s only two stats that mean anything to me,” he said. “Scoring offense and scoring defense. I don’t get paid on anything else other than the fact that we score 42 points a game and give up less.”

Often, they’ve given up a lot less. The aggregate totals can make
Oregon’s defense look bad, but on a per-play basis, the Ducks have been very good throughout Kelly’s tenure, which is tied to defensive
coordinator Nick Aliotti’s presence. This season is a classic case in
point; the Ducks gave up 381 yards per game going into the bowl, just
49th nationally, but that was often because teams get the ball back
quickly and have many chances to start drives. Sure enough, Oregon’s
DFEI, the opponent-adjusted defensive efficiency calculated by Football
Outsiders, ranked seventh in the country, ahead of even Alabama. In all four of Kelly’s seasons as head coach, the Ducks have ranked in the top 25 in scoring percentage allowed, or the amount of opponent drives that end in points.

Cleveland struggled on defense in 2012, ranking 22nd
in total DVOA — another Outsiders metric — but did so as one of the
youngest defenses in the NFL, and was also diminished by the
early-season loss of line anchor Phil Taylor. Joe Haden is one of the best young corners in the league, as is T.J. Ward at safety. Jabaal Sheard is a good pass-rusher. That’s the defense.

On offense, the Browns have flexibility to move at QB because Brandon Weeden’s cap number is no more than $2.5 million through 2015; they have a readymade running back option in Trent Richardson, who played hurt the entire second half of the season; they have maybe the most consistently solid left tackle in the NFL in Joe Thomas, and in Mitchell Schwartz the best rookie right tackle in 2012. This was the fifth-best
pass-blocking unit in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, and it is an
improving run-blocking unit, as well. Another quietly significant
element in Cleveland is at receiver, where in Greg Little and Josh Gordon, the Browns have two players who are both developing home run threats (Gordon, in particular), but also big, physical players who are assets as blockers for a team that likes to stretch the run game wide.

The hidden appeal in Cleveland is based on what is happening within
the division. Pittsburgh has an aging defense that will be experiencing a
lot of turnover in the next season-plus, as will Baltimore. Neither of
those teams figures to fall off totally given the talent on hand
elsewhere (not to mention the coaching with John Harbaugh and Mike
Tomlin around), but in each case a new offensive system could actually
give the Browns a divisional advantage for the first time in years. And
if you don’t think divisional competition matters, ask the Colts, who
got to face Tennessee and Jacksonville twice this season as they broke
in their rookie QB.

The Browns have a dynamic new owner in Jimmy Haslam. They are ready for a major jolt.

http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

One of the bonuses of the Kelly hire is that we’ll see the Browns get no better than a 4th rounder in return for Weeden.

BIKI024

Lombardi likes Weeds, and said the other day on The Fan that he could fit in Chip’s system. i doubt they give up on him yet..

alexb

as many times as i wanted to reach into my screen and choke weedon, they shouldn’t give up on him..unless they go after a big free agent like Smith or Flacco. Otherwise what else do we really have? I’m willing to let Brandon have one more year so we’re sure whether he sucks, or is really good…or is just mediocre (which is my current going theory)

GrandRapidsRustlers

Trent Richardson is smiling from ear to ear over a delicious Subway sandwich right now.

Am I missing a report? Why is everyone acting like the deal is final? Seems like it isn’t done just yet. I won’t be excited until the ink is dry. I remember Tampa Bay last year.

atdietz80

Odds that he returns to Oregon: Slim. Sanctions loom. It may not come right away, but it will hit hard enough to make things difficult. If he has any NFL aspirations, this is the time to go. Phil Knight could make him comfortable, but is it worth it if the school is put on probation?

Cleveland: If one door closes, another one opens. If it’s the pros, Cleveland has money to spend, young talent, cap space, and an ownership group that wants to make this happen. My completely arbitrary percentage for this happening is 75%

Somewhere else: 24%. Philly seems cold on him all of a sudden. I heard they left ‘Zona without talking to him. Buffalo is the next interview. Some left field options could pop up like Carolina or the Cards. San Diego strikes me as stingy as do the Cards. What team is going to step up and offer something like what Has-ner has in mind?

atdietz80

Ron Rivera is keeping his job. Scratch Carolina from the list.

atdietz80

Donovan McNabb thinks that Joe Banner is to blame for the mess in Philly. While Andy Reid’s kids were getting high, Banner was encroaching on Reid’s power…so says McNabb. He also stepped all over Heckert, encouraged him to take other jobs while grooming the clay-like Howie Roseman. I personally lack any concern for Donovan McNabb and believe that he blames Banner for getting value for his carcass before father time set in. McNabb got fatter and malcontenty in Washington then Minnesota.http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130104_McNabb__Banner_took_power_from_Reid__groomed_Roseman.html

BIKI024

i went to college with a bunch of guys from Philly who are diehard Eagles fan, NONE of them had anything nice to say about the guy, and most of them are fellow members of the tribe as well. but u gotta trust that Haslam is being genuine when he said he felt the best about hiring Banner than any other hire he has made.

atdietz80

Banner definitely knows the business, which Haslam is trying to learn for himself. Someone has to be the bad guy in an organization with a red pen on salaries. If Reid really did have final say on contracts, the Eagles would have been capped out in year 7 of the 14 year run.

Things really got screwed up when Howie Roseman took the helm of the GM role. He spent on a ton of guys and it all came crashing down.

The argument could be made that Banner wrongly marginalized Heckert in Philly only to replace him with a dud in Roseman. I really hope lightning does not strike twice with whoever replaces Heckert here.

The interview process seems to have gone rather efficiently so far. A lot of guys have been interviewed already and we’l have to see what happens with Kelly. Has-ner seems to have a plan and they are adhering to it thus far.

BIKI024

rumors are still strong that it’s Lombardi to head up pro personnel and another guy to head up college.. this should alleviate some of the concerns about Lombardi screwing up the draft. the guy definitely has scouted a lot of NFL players over the past few years, not only for NFL Network but for The Hoodie as well. he does a lot of opposition scouting for the Pats. can’t wait to see how much of this cap room they use this year.

atdietz80

Lombardi’s name has been mentioned so much for so long. Banner and Haslam preached confidential throughout the search. I would not be surprised if two unknowns are picked for the personnel jobs. Maybe the GM duties are part of any Kelly deal…a package deal. Too little is known. I’m sure Chip Kelly has an NFL following in personnel circles. It’s a matter of finding guys that are excited to draft for him. Or maybe it’s just a matter of stopwatches…a la Al Davis. We’ll see. Or maybe he can hire Will Lyles just like in college.

BIKI024

that would be absolutely asinine to give Kelly any sort of GM duties, a guy who has never had ANY NFL experience and very few players who have gone on to success in NFL and they would give him GM duties?? obviously his input is needed, but good lord, that just has disaster written all over it.

atdietz80

I may have written that unclearly. I just meant that maybe his deal will not be complete until the personnel guys are onboard. Chip Kelly does not need to be his own GM.

BIKI024

yeah who knows when it will be official.. this espn article has Carolina the best option for him with Cam, of course Rivera allegedly finds out his fate tomorrow. obviously they don’t agree that Chip would best option for their team or maybe they would’ve kicked Ron to the curb already and throw their hat in the ring.

Petefranklin

NFL.com says Chip is landing!!!

Petefranklin

Well sorry, not official but I got a call from Oregon and we’ll have to wait some

Allen P

ESPN claiming he’s meeting with other teams. Color me discouraged.

atdietz80

Chip is going to get PAID! Three offers are better than one. My feeling is this will be done tonight. He interviewed with Buffalo Friday night, the Eagles Saturday day, and then Cleveland offers to top the offers. If Haslam wants him, he’s going to get him by offering him more than Pete Carroll got in Seattle: 5yrs, $33 million. Just spitballing here, but maybe $40 million. Nothing that I am saying here is based at all by fact. Does Philly want to get into a bidding war for him? Philly would have to retool their front office as well. I just think Haslam wants this to come to pass. Sometimes that’s enough.

rgrunds

Difficulties with Chip

No matter how hard you try, you cannot skate on a buffalo Chip.

atdietz80

If we are talking about Roller Derby, it can be done. August 3-10, 2013. Sturgis, SD.

Philly brass flew back to Arizona this morning for the Kelly lunch date and to talk with Doug Marrone. Marrone sounds like their fall back.

SeattleBrownsFan

boy, this Kelly guy sure seems to eat a lot…

atdietz80

It looks like he had a big lunch and might not make dinner tonight. I wonder what hints he’s been dropping to the Browns after their appointed time came and went. The Eagles have more weapons on offense and maybe Mike Vick stays around. In Cleveland, Chip would need to conjure some up out of whole cloth. Money will be there on both sides. Now it comes down to fit. Things just got interesting.

My first choice back from about week 3, when it was completely clear what shurmur was and would always be, was Gus Bradley. He’s a bit of a nut cake but mostly in a good way. I hope it’s him.

alexb

Hasn’t Gruden explicitly stated in the past that he’d like to Coach the Browns? WHy not give the job to someone that really wants to coach here? And give him more than 2 years to accomplish something. We’re courting a high value college coach that is now trying to leverage teams against each other. I mean if Gruden now says he doesn’t want to come here fine, but i haven’t heard anyone say he’s been asked. I know he’s putting feelers around the league to come back to coach so why aren’t we talking to him? The guy does have a SB ring that he got with shitty qb. He’s a defense and power run kind of guy, perfect for the AFC North.

NeedsFoodBadly

Because Gruden is terrible and a carrot-colored ass and anyone who likes anything about him is wrong forever.

"Scumbag lawyer . . . . I will NEVER give that guy a moment of airtime. He is walking slime. I've had enough indirect contact w/him to know better. . . . Just to clarify for those wondering: I blocked the clown on Twitter about 2 years ago, so I can't see the lies he's tweeting." -- Bob Frantz, WTAM 1100

"Peter over at Cleveland Frowns has a passionate post about Manny Ramirez and the Hall of Fame, and it made me think about Lyndon Johnson." --Posnanski

"Nothing sums up the Cavaliers' 2009-2010 season better than curses, Photoshops and year-and-a-half old wagers. It also kind of sums up why Cleveland Frowns is always worth a read." -- Dan Labbe, Cleveland.com

"I want to provide a bit of balance to this Lerner love-in. . . . Browns fans aren't so enamoured with him. Here's a very funny blog that explains where many of them are coming from." -- Matt Slater, BBC

"Pete puts together what seems to me a cogent response and an argument that Mangini is not being given a fair shot. I admire that argument a lot." -- Posnanski

"Although someone purporting to be Mr. Thurman satisfactorily answered our researcher's questions prior to the letter's inclusion in our magazine, further research reveals the letter to be fraudulent. . . . Thank you for bringing this to our attention. It is clear that the Cleveland Frowns also have great respect for our letters section . . ." -- Sports Illustrated Letters Department

"If you can't trust the word of some Cleveland blogger who saw some letter to the editor from some guy who says he saw Lebron's agent on TV claiming that there was a misunderstanding and Lebron sent more money to clear it up, who can you trust?" -- Deadspin Commenter, BingoLong